Opinion IOC polls has IOA jittery
Six candidates are contesting for the president's post: IOC.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) congress in Buenos Aires is to take important decisions on the 2020 Olympics host city,new president and choosing one sport for 2020 Games but the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials have their eyes fixed on one outcome: the next IOC president.
Six candidates are contesting for the president’s post: IOC vice-president Bach of Germany,vice-president Ng Ser Miang of Singapore,finance commission chairman Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico,executive board members Sergei Bubka of Ukraine and CK Wu of Taiwan,and former board member Dennis Oswald.
And IOA’s suspension,which is fast becoming a Abhay Chautala vs Randhir Singh story,is likely to be among the first things the new IOC president will have to deal with.
Randhir’s proximity to Bach,who is the frontrunner to replace Rogge as the IOC supremo,has made Chautala’s supporters jittery. Randhir and Bach go back a long way. Recently,when the International Fencing Federation (FIE) barred Indian fencers from taking part in the world championships last February,Randhir was instrumental in convincing Bach to intervene and prevail upon the FIE to allow Indian fencers to take part.
The Chautala-led IOA faction is fearing that the tide may turn in Randhir’s favour if Bach is elected. But Randhir,who has been India’s representative at the IOC since 2003 and will have a vote in electing IOC president,is likely to wield strong influence within the Olympic body as far as the IOA issue is concerned,irrespective of who emerges as the new chief of the Olympic body.
Chautala & Co,meanwhile,are hoping that the new president will spend some time in taking stock of the situation and therefore give them a few extra days to plot their next move. They are also expecting the new president to adopt a lenient approach towards the IOA,which will allow them to get away with a few contentious clauses. Amidst all the games the officials play,the only thing that looks certain is that the IOA will miss the September deadline for its elections and further delay India’s return to Olympic fold.
Mihir is a senior correspondent based in Mumbai mihir.vasavda@expressindia.com
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